More milestones

We have been busy since last I wrote. Last week our AC went out -- again! We found out this time that we have a large leak on the coil inside the house. Rather than replacing the coil on an AC that is 12 years old, and a furnace that is more than 20, we decided to replace the whole system. They are starting that work tomorrow (thank goodness!) It is predicted that we'll have continued highs in the 90's for at least another week. The house is beginning to be intolerable at night. We can only run the AC for short periods before it freezes up, and when it is working, it's not working well.


I returned to playing broomball (summer pickup league) a couple of weeks ago, after over a year of not playing. It has been good, although there are definitely muscles around my incision that I feel afterwards. But this past Sunday I actually scored two goals, so I'm feeling better about kicking the rust off. After the game this week, a bunch of us went to BW3s for beers and some food. Tara brought the kids along, so I took a photo of the two dads with their little ones. Hard to believe that Ava is 4 or 5 weeks younger than Charlie-- they appear to be the same size!

On Monday, Charlie turned 12 weeks old, and had his first "day" at daycare. When I dropped him off he went right to town on the bouncy seat (photo here).

Unlike the one at home, which has lights and sound that are activated by his feet kicking, this one has music and motion that are activated by pulling on some toys on the bar. He grabbed right hold of them and learned very quickly. He is starting to grab and hold onto things at home, too. He is really enjoying his play gym, which has a cowboy theme (to match some of the clothes his Grandma Knepper gave him!)

He stayed at daycare for about 6 hours on Monday, while I went to take care of some errands, including shopping for new work clothes. Although I've lost my baby weight, my shape is now different than it was before.



Today I took him to the baby movies for one last time, with Teresa and Jodi and two more of Teresa's friends. We all went to lunch with our babies afterward, and then I dropped Charlie off at daycare for the remainder of the afternoon. John picked him up on his way home.



Tomorrow is my first day at work-- I'll be dropping Charlie off at daycare after an early morning meeting here near the house. I will probably be more worried about what's going on at home with the AC install than what Charlie is up to! I really think he'll be fine.

Getting Ready for Work

This is my last week here at home with Charlie. On Tuesday we visited the daycare room for about 2 hours and met Mary, Charlie's primary caregiver. He smiled at her as soon as she sat down beside him while he sat in his carseat. I think they are going to have great fun.

Charlie is starting to reach for things now while playing on his gym mat. He really likes looking in the mirror that is attached to one of the arms, so this morning I bought one to put in his crib. This week he is also now fascinated by watching the mobile hanging on his crib. If only it were battery operated and did not require winding up so often! Over the past two days he has also started to laugh out loud. This makes it very hard for me to think about leaving him to go to work!

This morning we visited with Dr. Chin's office, to share our happy little boy with the folks who helped bring him into our life. They all agreed that he looks like a little man.

We will visit the daycare for one more short session this week, to help Charlie and Mary get more acquainted with one another. Then on Monday and Tuesday I will probably drop him off for a few hours while I go take care of some errands. Wednesday is my first day back at work, and will be Charlie's first full day at daycare by himself. It's hard to believe my little boy is almost 12 weeks old!

On other family notes, my nephew Nathan Robert Brewood was born this morning in Kansas City. He was 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and 19 1/2 inches long. Mom and Dad arrived there in the early afternoon to meet him. I can't wait until we all get together in St. Louis over Labor Day and Charlie can meet both of his cousins.

John's first baseball game with Charlie

On Friday night Oscar and Charlie went to their second baseball game together. We went to the Florence Freedom (Frontier League) game. Having been to a minor league game before (although not at this stadium), we knew we would enjoy the experience. Our "premium" seats were only $9.50 a piece, and the food prices were also reasonable. I myself had a cheeseburger, a bag of peanuts, and one of the best ice cream cones I've had in a while. The weather was beautiful, especially cool for July in Cincinnati.

Although we did not stay for the fireworks after the game, we did get to witness a bit of excitement. I am not sure I've ever been in the stadium before during an altercation quite like what we experienced. I can't recall ever seeing a manager actually take the glove from his catcher and get down behind the plate to demonstrate exactly what he was trying to argue. From our great seats we could almost see the spit flying between the manager and the umpire as they yelled face-to-face. On his way out of the park, he threw a bucket of balls onto the field.

Later in the game one of the other players was thrown out as well. To be honest, it did seem like they were not calling the game evenly. The most ridiculous part was when the manager had kicked dirt all over home plate, and the umpire refused to sweep it off before resuming play. How he was calling balls and strikes with home plate completely hidden I don't know!

All in all it was a pleasant, entertaining evening. We'll probably try to get over there for another game soon.

In other news, we finally managed to get the Baby Bjorn to fit on John. Now he can sit and work on the computer while holding Charlie in the carrier.

Charlie's First Movie

Today Charlie and I went to the movies with Julia and Jodi. At one of our local theaters they have a once a week showing for $5.50 that is specifically for you to bring your babies. They leave the lights on dim and turn the sound volume down a bit. Plus they have changing stations and a refreshment cart in the front of the theater.

We saw the new Harry Potter movie. Charlie must have either been afraid of the scary parts, or he wanted to express his dislike of the movie, because he poo-ed all over his carseat about half way through the movie. Thank goodness for those changing stations!

After the movie we went and had lunch. Later in the afternoon John and Charlie and I had our orientation at the P&G daycare. We did not meet Charlie's primary caregiver yet, because she works the early shift and was gone by the time we got there. I will go back to begin transition with Charlie next Tuesday, and we will meet her then.

Meet the Robenalts

Charlie got a head start on meeting his extended family on Sunday. John's Uncle Tom (Charlie's Great Uncle) and his family were in town, so we popped over for a short visit. There was some confusion amongst the kids about what to call Charlie-- "first-cousin-once-removed" seems like a mouthful to an 8-year-old. I think we decided on just "cousin."














We look forward to meeting up with the rest of the Robenalt clan in August in Cleveland.

2 Month Checkup

Today Charlie had his 2-month check-up at the pediatrician. He got 4 shots and an oral vaccination. He was not pleased. Of course, he was fussy as soon as they started describing the shots to me, as if he understood what they were saying.

He measured at 22 3/4 inches (55%), 11 lbs 2 oz (50%), and 16 inches around the head ( 70%). So he has slowed down in his growth. He sure seemed bigger to me.

Grandma's first babysitting job

Today Grandma Robenalt babysat Charlie for the first time. I had errands to do upon returning home from New Mexico, and it gave me a chance to get a few things done quickly without having to bring him along. Apparently all went well. He watched some animal videos and had a bottle and a diaper change. Grandma noted that his hair is coming back in in the front, and that his hand control definitely got better while we were away last week.

While we were gone, Charlie transitioned into size 2 diapers. I've found since I got home that he can wear some of his larger clothes now. I can't wait until Thursday to find out how much he weighs at his 2 month checkup.

More news from our trip after I can get my photos and thoughts organized.

World Traveler

Today Charlie visited his first National Park. We braved the blazing sun to visit Petroglyph National Monument just outside Albuquerque. I invested in a National Parks Passport for Charlie, so he could start to collect stamps when we visit landmarks.

After a stop at a Mexican restaurant (complete with live music and an excellent red chile), we made the drive up to Santa Fe. Our photography workshops begin in the morning.

We have internet access this year at the rental house, so I'll be able to post some photos later this week, including some from the park today. For now, I'm going to try and get some rest. I want to be awake in class tomorrow!

--Michelle